San Diego high school football coach arrested on suspicion of sexual assault

University City High has placed its freshman football coach, Chris Preston, on unpaid leave after learning of his arrest

University City High School

The San Diego Police Department, according to a report by CBS 8 Television in San Diego, has arrested a high school football coach suspected of sexually assaulting three women.

Scott Christopher Preston, who claims on his Facebook page to be the freshmen football coach at University City High School in San Diego as well as the CEO of 360 Wellness and Consulting, was arrested after three women accused him of sexual assault, which allegedly occurred while they received massages from him.

Police have been investigating Preston since August of 2023 when they received their first complaint about Preston, but the victim elected not to press charges at that time. A second woman, who also did not wish press charges, was the subject of a complaint made last December. In April, however, a third woman came forward and she claimed she was "sexually battered and groped," by Preston and policed decided to move forward with charges.

Detectives then linked the three cases together and identified Preston as the suspect in all three. Preston was arrested by U.S. Marshalls, last Wednesday, near the University City campus, where he was known as Scott Preston. He now faces five felony charges.

Police stated that Preston advertised his services with a 50% Off deal on Groupon for Lymphatic Drainage Massages.

According to police, the business has been in operation since 2018, so there is fear that there may be many more victims out there. The San Diego police have asked anyone who has information relevant to the case or believes they were a victim to please come forward. The police also believe that Preston was not licensed to give massages.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or the person involved is asked to call the San Diego Police Department Sex Crimes Unit at (619) 531-2210 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Mike Paredes, the principal at University City, responded to the news by sending a note to parents at the school in which Preston's arrest was confirmed. He also noted that "the employee has been placed on unpaid leave and is no longer associated with our school."

The San Diego Times Union-Tribune also reported that a school district spokesperson stated that Preston had been a walk-on coach at University City since October of 2023.

According to the Times Union-Tribune, Preston, 55, pleaded not guilty in San Diego Superior Court to three counts of sexual battery and two other sex crimes. If convicted of all charges, he could face a maximum of 11 years in prison.